Florida reported 9,785 new coronavirus cases and 139 new deaths on Wednesday. The virus has now infected 379,619 statewide and has killed 5,345 Florida residents.
Central Florida added 1,666 cases for a total of 62,022: 689 new cases were reported in Orange for 24,700; 237 in Polk for 10,309; 208 in Osceola for 6,687; 127 in Volusia for 5,657; 114 in Seminole for 5,633; 148 in Brevard for 4,561; 121 in Lake for 3,594; and 22 in Sumter for 881. (See details on all Central Florida cases here).
!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}}))}();
Central Florida had 41 of the deaths reported Wednesday, bringing the regional toll to 636: 14 each in Orange and Polk, five each in Brevard and Seminole, and three in Volusia. One fatality was removed from Sumter’s count on Wednesday.
In Orange, they were women ages 36, 65, 74, 79, 89, 92, 94 and 106; and men ages 74, two aged 78, 85, 86 and 89. In Polk, they were women ages 56, 75, 76, 77, 80, 87, and 92; and men ages 57, 60, 64, 74, 75, 84 and 88.
In Brevard, the new victims were women ages 62 and 86 and men ages 65, 74 and 87. In Seminole, women 86 and 89 and men ages 78, 85 and 87. In Volusia, a woman, 70, and men 79 and 90.
Polk County, due to nursing-home outbreaks, has the most coronavirus fatalities in Central Florida with 200, followed by 138 in Orange, 89 in Volusia, 58 in Brevard, 51 in Seminole, 43 in Osceola, 36 in Lake, and 21 in Sumter.
!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}}))}();
Statewide, the latest positivity rate made available by the Florida Department of Health, for Tuesday, was 10.55%.
Over 3.1 million people have been tested in Florida, with 55,067 more tests reported Wednesday — about the daily July average — compared with the previous day. Over 2.1 million tests have been administered since May 31.
Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed confidence Tuesday that Florida will soon contain its coronavirus outbreak and that hospitals can handle the current influx of patients, putting forward a positive case even as the state’s average daily death toll is now the nation’s worst.
South Florida, home to 29% of Florida’s population, accounts for about 43% of cases with 163,598 total. That includes 4,513 new cases reported Wednesday among Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
South Florida’s reported deaths on Wednesday rose by 37 for a total of 2,580, 48% of the state’s total.
List of mobile coronavirus and antibody testing sites in Central Florida by county
To date, 22,243 people have been hospitalized in Florida, the state’s COVID-19 dashboard shows, 463 more than a day earlier.
Across Florida, 9,492 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of about 11 a.m. Wednesday. The state’s online tool updates several times throughout the day with the newly released numbers.
Orange County reported 579 patients hospitalized, Osceola with 238, Seminole with 177, and Lake with 111 as of about 11 a.m. Wednesday.
More Top Picks Firewood Racks
Officials said Monday that there are signs the virus’ spread is beginning to slow in Orange County as the percent of positive tests is on the decline, but a record number of people remain hospitalized with COVID-19, including the most ever in ICU.
The data for current COVID-19 patients do not differentiate between general hospital beds and intensive care units.
The virus has tapped out intensive care units of some hospitals around the state. In particular, hospitals in Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville have reported recent surges and a critical shortage of the antiviral remdesivir.
A detailed breakdown of Florida’s coronavirus cases can be found here, and county-by-county data can be found here.
The virus has infected over 14.9 million people and has killed over 616,000 worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. In the U.S., over 3.9 million people have been infected and over 142,000 killed.
The U.S. has the most fatalities by far, followed by Brazil with over 81,000, the United Kingdom with over 45,000, Mexico with over 40,000, Italy with over 35,000, France with over 30,000, and India and Spain with over 28,000 each.
Within the U.S., New York has the most deaths with over 32,000, followed by New Jersey with over 15,000.
Almost all people infected with coronavirus survive, but those who do succumb usually die two or more weeks after they are diagnosed. The most vulnerable to death and hospitalization are those over 65 or who have health issues such as diabetes, weakened immune systems or obesity.
Coronavirus is the state’s deadliest infectious disease, killing three times more Floridians a day than flu/pneumonia, AIDS and viral hepatitis combined.
Have a comment about this story? Share it on our Facebook page.
You can sign up for new daily Florida coronavirus update by subscribing to The Health Report newsletter and as-they-happen Breaking News emails at OrlandoSentinel.com/newsletters.
Join our Facebook group “Coronavirus news from the Orlando Sentinel“
Local coronavirus victims: Their lives remembered
Deborah Denise Henson spent much of her adult life in pain — the result of a freakish accident that left her with plates and screws in her back. But you wouldn’t have known it from her smile. She survived a host of medical problems before succumbing to COVID-19.
Pong Hui Chartier, known as “Connie” to customers at the dry cleaning business she operated in Ocoee, liked to do things her way. “She’s never been someone that rested. She was always go, go, go. If anyone was going to live to be 100, it would be my mother,” her daughter said. At 79, Pong Hui took only one medication — for her thyroid. But in early March, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Weeks later, she died as a victim of coronavirus.
Pneumonia caused by COVID-19 killed both Pete and Eleanor Baker, retired snowbirds who were married nearly 62 years and spent winters in an RV in Central Florida.
See more Central Florida coronavirus obituaries here.
Symptoms? Do this
Are you feeling stressed or depressed from the COVID19 outbreak? There are resources available for you. You can contact the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness
How to protect yourself
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick and avoid contact with people in poor health.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow these recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Follow these guidelines for using a cloth mask.
More Top Picks Best Footrests For Under Desks
Questions? Here are numbers to call
The Florida Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions about coronavirus. There’s a number for Orange County, too.
The Florida Department of Health’s number is 1-866-779-6121 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents may also email questions to [email protected].
In Orange County, the number to call is 407-723-5004; it’s available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For mental-health help, here is a list of resources.
For accurate, up-to-date information, visit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
The Florida Department of Health: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. For questions, call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email [email protected].
A live map of COVID-19 cases around the globe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
You want to be extra-prepared? Here’s how to stock up before a pandemic: ready.gov/pandemic
For the latest coronavirus updates, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus and follow @orlandosentinel on Twitter.
See complete coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.